Ryan ran through the depths of the Black Forest, holding Evelyn tightly in his arms, only stopping once he was certain they had completely lost their pursuers.

  He gently placed the unconscious Evelyn against a tree trunk, staring at her pale profile and slightly furrowed brow.

  He couldn't help but mutter,"Every time it's you, trouble follows. Now I have to clean up your mess again."

  He reached out and lightly tapped Evelyn's fair forehead, an unconscious gentleness in his gesture.

  Then he unfastened the pack on his back, rummaging through his supplies. Inside were a few potions and the items he had won from the lottery: a Limb Softening Potion and a pair of Shadow Silk Stockings.

  Ryan's gaze lingered on the potion for a moment. A fleeting thought crossed his mind: if he gave this to Evelyn, would she temporarily lose the ability to resist when she woke?

  But the idea vanished almost immediately. If he did that, it would be taking advantage of her weakness, and he refused to stoop that low.

  "Forget it. I don't use such cheap tricks," Ryan muttered, putting the potion back in the pack, but his eyes fell on the Shadow Silk Stockings.

  He picked them up and compared them against Evelyn's legs. The stockings reached just to the knees, their material light and delicate, strangely matching her cool, elegant aura—as if made for her specifically.

  "Grimoire, does this lottery have mind-reading powers? It even matches her size perfectly?" Ryan couldn't help but smirk."Well, it does fit nicely."

  Holding the stockings, he involuntarily imagined how they would look on her. He quickly shook his head, scolding himself silently:"Why am I thinking such nonsense?"

  Ryan slowly reached for Evelyn's legs...

  ...

  Ryan lit a small fire with dry branches, the orange-red flames dancing and illuminating the surroundings, adding a bit of warmth to the silent Black Forest.

  He sat beside the fire, poking at the flames with a stick and humming softly.

  Leaning against the tree trunk, Evelyn's fingers, resting on her abdomen, twitched slightly. Her lashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened.

  The first thing she saw was the boy's silhouette by the fire, the flickering flames casting light across his face.

  Evelyn deliberately coughed a few times, a natural reaction to her dry throat, and also a way to break the quiet atmosphere.

  Ryan heard the sound and immediately turned. Seeing Evelyn awake, he quickly exchanged for an ice cream from the Grimoire shop.

  The ice cream was infused with creamy ice magic, sprinkled with tiny ice crystals, and it emitted a faint chill the moment it was taken out.

  "There's no clean water here, so this will have to do. It'll help with your dry throat." He held the ice cream out to her.

  The Grimoire shop allowed unlimited exchanges of ordinary items except for special ones, though the stock refreshed the next day.

  Evelyn did not take it, only staring at the ice cream, her eyes cautious."What is this?"

  "It's delicious. Are you worried I poisoned it?" Ryan shook the ice cream slightly. The crystal sugar on top caught the light, scattering tiny reflections.

  Evelyn still did not move, only watching him silently. Ryan raised his eyebrows in mild exasperation."You haven't moved because you can't, have you?"

  He leaned closer, noticing she did not flinch. It seemed that using the Frozen Crown Staff had completely drained her mana.

  "You forced the use of an epic-tier artifact, didn't you? I thought you could fully control it," Ryan said, trying to break the awkwardness.

  "I could before," Evelyn replied, leaning against the tree. Almost immediately, she coughed again.

  "Now your mana isn't enough to fully control it?" Ryan took a bite of the ice cream, the cold instantly cutting through the night's stifling heat. If he didn't eat it now, it would melt.

  Evelyn gave a small, quiet acknowledgment, her eyes dropping to the ice cream in Ryan's hand. Her throat moved unconsciously."Sorry."

  Evelyn's quiet apology almost made Ryan drop the ice cream in his hand.

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  He stared at the woman in front of him, dumbfounded. Could he have misheard? This usually aloof woman had actually said sorry of her own accord?

  A faint trace of guilt colored Evelyn's pale cheeks."If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten caught up in all this, and you wouldn't be chased by the city lord."

  Ryan froze for a moment, then let out a self-deprecating laugh."Honestly, traveling through the Black Forest is boring enough. Having a fight along the way, and with a beautiful companion no less, I'm the one benefiting here."

  As he spoke, he pulled out a second ice cream.

  Seeing it appear out of nowhere, Evelyn's eyes flickered with confusion. He didn't carry a storage bag or wear a space ring—where did this come from?

  She didn't ask. Coldly, she refused."I'm not eating it."

  Her words were barely out when the dryness in her throat returned, forcing her to cough a few times.

  Ryan looked at her hands resting on her abdomen, trembling slightly. He held back a smile, amused by the contrast—she had no strength even to lift her hands, yet she still pretended to be strong.

  "Really not eating?" Ryan shook the ice cream, the crystal sugar sparkling in the firelight."This is an ice magic dessert. It'll quench your thirst and even give you a bit of mana."

  "I said no." Evelyn's eyes nevertheless glanced at the ice cream.

  She could feel the gentle ice magic within it. It would help ease her throat, but she couldn't move right now—there was no way she could take it herself.

  "I forgot, you can't reach it," Ryan said, as if just realizing."Then should I feed you? Open your mouth."

  He held the ice cream to her lips, exaggeratingly opening his own mouth, mimicking the way one would coax a child.

  Evelyn said firmly,"No need." This foolish boy was getting bolder, daring to act like this toward her!

  "Don't be shy." Ryan put away the playful expression and looked seriously into her eyes."Think about it. We drove off the undead knight together, escaped the city lord together. Even if we're not family, that counts as life-and-death camaraderie, right? What's wrong with feeding you an ice cream?"

  "I really don't want it." Evelyn turned her face away, her throat itching again, forcing out another cough.

  Seeing her stubbornly enduring discomfort, Ryan finally lost patience. His tone grew serious.

  "When a woman says no, sometimes it really means yes. And your mana is drained, your throat is dry. If you don't eat something with moisture now, you'll ruin your throat and won't be able to cast spells later."

  Without waiting for a response, he pressed the ice cream to her lips.

  The cold dessert touched her soft lips, instantly leaving a light blue layer of cream. Evelyn instinctively turned her head to avoid it.

  But Ryan immediately followed, holding the ice cream to the new position. She turned again, he followed. It became a childish tug-of-war.

  "Stop it! This ice cream is melting!" Ryan said, watching the cream drip down, reluctantly withdrawing his hand and taking a big bite himself.

  The cold sweetness instantly spread in his mouth, perfectly relieving thirst.

  Evelyn watched him eat, amazed at how persistent he was. She didn't notice that her ears had already flushed red.

  The cold, sticky touch of the ice cream on her lips, combined with the faint sweetness, had unexpectedly stirred something inside her.

  Ryan watched Evelyn purse her lips, savoring the ice cream, and couldn't help but grin, revealing a row of white teeth. He just stared at her, frozen in place.

  Seeing this usually aloof beauty display such a vulnerable, almost innocent expression was far more entertaining than winning the Elemental Manipulation Competition at the Magic Academy.

  His direct gaze made Evelyn feel inexplicably uneasy. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she silently chided herself: she had been the one to refuse, yet now she was secretly enjoying it. How embarrassing.

  "Your ears are red!" Ryan suddenly exclaimed dramatically.

  "No they're not." Evelyn almost immediately denied it, her tone tinged with barely noticeable panic. She could feel her cheeks burning but hadn't realized her ears had turned bright red.

  "Just kidding." Ryan laughed even more heartily. He knew how much Evelyn cared about appearances."I just wanted to see if you'd get nervous."

  Seeing him grinning mischievously, Evelyn wanted nothing more than to summon her magic and stand up to slap him.

  But the weakness in her body reminded her that for now, she had no choice but to endure his teasing.

  "Is the ice cream tasty?" Ryan produced another ice cream, waving it teasingly in front of her."I told you, ice magic desserts are way better than berry juice."

  Evelyn didn't respond, though her eyes involuntarily flicked toward the ice cream.

  The cold, sweet taste was indeed memorable, but the thought of letting Ryan feed her made her feel awkward.

  The itchiness in her throat returned, and she instinctively tried to raise a hand to cover her mouth. Her arm moved slightly, then fell limply. That's when she fully realized she couldn't move at all.

  A small sense of relief arose in her heart: fortunately, it was Ryan she encountered. If it had been a bandit in the Black Forest or a pursuer from the city lord's mansion, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

  In her current state, she couldn't even protect herself, let alone resist.

  "You're too stubborn. I don't like people with stubborn tempers," Ryan said, holding the ice cream.

  Seeing that Evelyn still remained silent, he leaned closer, lowering his voice, a teasing edge in his tone."If you don't eat, I'll feed you with my mouth. I've heard that transmitting mana mouth-to-mouth can be an emergency measure, perfect for topping up your mana."

  Evelyn's expression instantly hardened. This boy actually dared to say that! If it were any other time, she would have frozen him solid with an ice spell.

  But the itching in her throat grew unbearable. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop coughing, and her face turned even paler.

  "Look at you, coughing like this and still being stubborn." Ryan's tone grew serious."Open your mouth. Once you recover some mana, we're leaving."

  He brought the ice cream to her lips again, his face moving closer, a faint threat in his gaze, as if daring her not to open her mouth, implying he would follow through on his words.

  Evelyn looked at his face so close, feeling the ice-cold dessert against her lips, and finally gave in.

  She couldn't endure the torment in her throat and certainly didn't want this boy to actually do something outrageous.

  She opened her mouth slightly, and the icy sweetness slid in, instantly relieving the discomfort in her throat and easing some of the irritation in her mind.

  Watching her obediently eat the ice cream, a sudden, inexplicable sense of accomplishment rose in Ryan.

  But it didn't last long. A thought popped into his mind: Am I a pervert? Liking to watch someone being forced to do something they don't want and feeling satisfied?